4fy

National Aeronautics and

E Space Administration

AC 202 755-8370

Washngto.
2546For DC. Release Immediate

KPress
RELEASE NO:
Kit
76-37
Project RCA-Satcom-Ii

Contents'

GENERAL RELEASE......................1-4

LAUNCH OPERATIONS............................
. .. 5
STRAIGHT EIGHT DELTA FACTS AND FIGURES ................
6-7
MAJOR DELTA/RCA.-SATCOM-II FLIGHT EVENTS.............
8-9
KSC LAUNCH OPERATIONS................................
~ o
RCA/SATCOM/DELTA/TEAM...............................
10-12

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National Aeronautics and

Space Administration
WIashington. D.C. 20546
AC 202 755-8370

For Release: i
Bill O'Donnell Immediate
Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
(Phone: .202/755-2354)

RELEASE NO: 76-37

NASA TO LAUNCH SECOND SATCOM IN RCA SERIES

NASA has scheduled launch of the RCA Corporation's

second commercial domestic communications satellite on board

a Delta launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral, Fla., March 25,

1976. Once in orbit it will be called RCA-Satcom-II. The

launch window is from 5:48 p.m. to 6:08 p.m.

The RCA-Satcom system will consist of two satellites

placed in geostationary orbits to serve the contiguous United

States and Alaska with television, voice channels and high-

speed data transmissions. A third satellite will be held in

reserve on the ground.

RCA Global Communications, Inc. as trustee for RCA

American Communications, Inc., has direct management respon-

sibility for the system.

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The first RCA Satcom spacecraft was launched

success-
fully Dec. 12, 1975, on a Delta launch vehicle.
The satel-
lite is currently in a geosynchronous orbit
at 36,000
kilometers (22,300 miles) altitude at 119
degrees W. Longi-
tude (due south of Los Angeles) above the
eauator. The
second spacecraft will be placed in a similar
orbit at 128
degrees W. Longitude.

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Certer, Greenbelt,

Md., has
management responsibility for the Delta launch
vehicle and
launch will be conducted by
lurASA's John F. Kennedy Space
Center, Fla. All launch costs incurred by
NASA, including
the vehicle hardware and launch services,
are reimbursed
by RCA Corp.

RCA Earth stations are located near New York

City,
San Francisco and Los Angeles, and at Anchorage,
Juneau,
Nome, Bethel, Valdez and Prudhoe BIay in Alaska.
Other
stations are expected to be added later
in Alaska and
Hawaii and the contiguous United States.

The RCA Fatcom spacecraft weighs 867.7 kilograms

(1,913
pounds) at launch. After firing its onboard
apogee motor,
which places it in final synchronous orbit
after separation
from the Delta, Satcom will weigh 463 kg
(1,021 lb.).

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The satellite is box-shaped measuring 1.6 meters (5.3

* |feet) by 3.2 m (4.1 ft.) by 1.2 m (4.1 ft.) with two rectangular
solar panels measuring 6.97 square meters (75 square feet).
Silicon solar cells are continuously oriented toward the Sun
A and provide electric power to the satellite.
e AD

The Model 3914 Delta launch vehicle for the RCA-Satcom-II

mission is a power-augmented version of the standard 2914
Delta vehicle using nine larger Thiokol Castor IV solidc-pro-

pellant strap-on motors. The booster is structurally modified

and the solid motor firing and dropping sequence is different.
The model 3914 was first used on the RCA Satcom launch Dec. 12,

1975.

The castor IV strap-on motors are 11.1 m (36.r ft.) in

length and about 1 m (40 inches) in diameter and provide
thrust of 329,200 newtons or 74,000 pounds each.

At liftoff five of the solids will fire and after burn- A

out they will be ejected in groups of three and two. The

other four then will be ignited and after burnout be ejected.

This differs from the procedure on the standard 2914 vehicle
where six are ignited at liftoff and after they burnout the
final three are ignited and all nine ejected simultaneously.

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Goddard provides in addition to Delta management, the.

.l
tracking network required to accurately place RCA-Satcom in

its initial transfer orbit. McDonnell Douglas Astronautics

Co , Huntington Beach, Calif., is the Delta prime contractor.

RCA Astro-Electronics Division built the spacecraft.

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE. BACKAGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.)

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LAUNCH OPERATIONS
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The spacecraft will be launched

Cape Canaveral, Fla., by a three-stagefrom Complex 17 A at
3914 Delta launch
vehicle.
First Stage

The first stage is a McDonnell Douglas exteneded

tank Thor booster incorporating nine Castor IV strap-onlong
Thiokol solid-fuel rocket motors. The booster
is powered
by a Rocketdyne RS-27 engine using liquid oxygen and liquid
hydrocarbon propellants. The main engine is
gimbal-mounted
to provide pitch and yaw control from lift to main engine
cutoff (MECO). Roll control is provided by Rocketdyne
liquid fueled vernier engines.
Second Stage
The second stage is powered by a TRW TR-201 liquid-
fuel, pressure-fed engine that is also yimbal-mounted to
provide pitch and yaw control through second-stage burn.
A
nitorgen gas system uses eight fixed nozzles for roll control
during powered and coast flight, as well as pitch and yaw
control during coast and after second-stage cutoff. Two
fixed nozzles, fed by the propellant-tank, helium-pressuri-
zation system, provide retrothrust after third stage
separation.
Third Stage

The third stage is the TE-364-4 spin-stabilized,

propellant Thiokol motor. It is secured in a spintablesolid-
mounted on the second stage. The firing of eight
solid-
propellant rockets fixed to the spintable accomplishes
up of the third stage spacecraft assembly. spin-

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STRAIGHT-EIGHT DELTA FACTS AND FIGURES

The Delta has the following general characteristics:

Height: 35.4 m (116 ft.) including shroud
Maximize diameter: 2.4 m (8 ft.) without attached
solids
Liftoff weight: 190,743 kg (420,516 lb.)
Liftoff thrust: 1,876,202 N (421,789 lb.) including
strap-on solids
First Stage

Liquid only -- consists of an

produced by McDonnell Douglas. The extended
RS-27
long tank Thor,
duced by the Rocketdyne Division of engines are pro-
Rockwell
The stage has the following characteristics: International.

Diameter: 2.4 m (8 ft.)

Height: 21.? m (70 ft.)
Propellants: RJ-1 kerosene as the fuel and liquid
oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer
Thrust: 912,000 N (205,000 lb.)
Burning time: About 3.48 minutes
Weight: About 93,200 kg (205,500 lb.) excluding
strap-on solids
Strap-on solids consist of nine solid
produced by the Thiokol Chemical Corp., propellant rockets
features: with the following

Diameter: 1.016 m (40 in.)

Height: 11.1 m (36.6 ft.)
Total Weight: 97,520 kg (215,000 lb.) for nine
10,840 kg (23,900 lb.) for each
Thrust: 2,963,000 N (666,000 lb.) for nine
329:200 N (74;,oo lb.) for each
Burning time: 57 seconds

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Second Stage

Produced by McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Co.,

utilizing a TRW TR-201 rocket engine; major contractors
for the vehicle inertial guidance system located on the
V; | r second stage are Hamilton Standard, Teledyne and Delco.>

i 1 Propellants: Liquid, consists of Aerozene 50 for the

fuel and Nitrogen Tetrowide (N2 04 ) for-
the oxidizer

Diameter: 1.5 m (5 ft.) plus 2.4 m (8 ft.') attached

ring

Height:. 6.4 m- (21 ft.)

Weight: 6,180 kg (13,596 lb.)'.

Thrust: About 42,923 N (9,650 lb.)

Total burning time: 335 seconds

Third Stage

Thiokol Chemical Co. TE-364-4 motor.

Propellants: solid

Height: 1.4 m (4.5 ft.)

Diameter: 1 m (3 ft.)

Weight: 1,160 kg (2,560 lb.)

Thrust: 61,858 N (13,900 lb.)

Burning time: 44 seconds

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KSC LAUNCH OPERATIONS

The Kennedy Space Center's Expendable Vehicles Direc-

torate plays a key role in the preparation and launch of the
thruot-augmented Delta rocket carrying RCA Satoom I1.

Delta 121 will be launched from PaT w complex 17,

eait
C ape
Canave1al will be lacunchedtfom Psi b cex Ct 1 ondp
mission involving the flight of a Delta with the now Castor
IV solid strap-on rocket motors, RCA Satcom-1 was success-
fully launched on a similar vehicle by KSC Dec. 12, 1975.
The Delta first stage and interotage wore created on
Pad A February 3 and the second stage was mated with them
February 4. The nine solid strap-on rocket motors were mounted
in place around the base of the first stage beginning February 5.
This operation was completed February 11.
The RCA-Satcom-II spacecraft was received in early
March, checked out and mated with the Delta third stage.
The third stage spacecraft assembly is to be mated with
Delta March 18 and the payload fairing which will pro-
tect the spacecraft during its flight through the atmosphere
is to be erected atop the vehicle March 23.

RCA/SATCOM/DELTA TEAM

NASA Headquarters
John F. Yardley Associate Administrator
for Space Flight
William C. Schneider Deputy Associate Adminis-
trator fer Space Flight
Joseph B. Mahon Director of Expendable
Launch Vehicle Programs
Peter T. Eaton Delta Program Manager

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41.
Goddard Space Flight Center /

Dr. John F. Clark Director

Dr. Robert S. Cooper Deputy Director
Robert N. Lindley Director of Projects
Robert Baumann Associate Director of t
Projects for Delta
William A. Russell Deputy Project Manager for
Delta/Technical (Acting)
Robert Goss Chief, Mission Integration
and Analysis and NASA
Project Manager for RCAX--
Satcom Missions
George D. Baker Deputy Chief, Mission
Integration and Analysis
Robert L. Tucker Chief, Mission Integration
Jan A. King Mission Integration
Engineer
Tecwyn Roberts Director of Networks
Albert Ferris Director of Mission and
Data Operations
Richard Sclafford Network Support Manager
Raymond Mazur Mission Support Manager 5

Seaton B. Norman Communications Engineer

Kennedy Space Center

Lee R. Scherer Director.
George F. Page Director, Expendable
Vehicles
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Kennedy Space Center (Cont'd.)

Hugh A. Weston, Jr. Manager, Delta Launch
Operations

B. L. Grenville Test Operations Manager,

Delta

David Bragdon Spacecraft Coordinator

RCA Global Communications, Inc.

*Phillip Schneider Executive Vice President

Satcom System,RCA Globcom

John Christopher Director of Satcom Engi-

neering and Production

Peter Plush Manager of Launch Vehicle

Procurement and Integration

Contractors

RCA Astro-Electronics RCA Satcom Spacecraft

Division
Hightstown, N.J.

McDonnell Douglas Astronautics Delta Launch Vehicle

Co.
Huntington Beach, Calif.

*(Presidernt, RCA American Communications, Inc., as soon as the

newly-formed organization becomes operational.)

For further information please contact Public Affairs

Office, RCA Global Communications, New Yorl- N. Y.:

Erwin May or Don Quinn (212) 363-3955

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